


Falling

by broadway_and_burbank



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Canon Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-07 21:31:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15916647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broadway_and_burbank/pseuds/broadway_and_burbank
Summary: Suddenly thrown into an unpredictable adventure, Kristoff Bjorgman of nowhere in particular finds himself falling for the Princess of Arendelle.





	Falling

**Author's Note:**

> I think these characters are so fun to write in AUs that I rarely write anything in the canon universe. But I watched Frozen again and remembered just how much I love that movie, so this happened.

Kristoff began to load the sled, mumbling to himself and wondering just how he managed to get into this situation.

It had been a completely uneventful day. There were more people in town due to the coronation, but besides that, the day was like any other.

Until suddenly, a winter storm hit in mid-summer, he needed emergency supplies, got kicked out of a trading post, and ordered by a crazy woman to take her up to the North Mountain during the middle of the night.

He didn’t take orders.

But she did buy supplies for him and carrots for Sven. Also, it was clear she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

Kristoff finished tying everything down, then looked up.

The girl was standing by the other side of the sled. She smiled at him when they made eye contact.

“So! Um, are we ready to go?” She asked.

“Depending,” Kristoff said, leaning against the sled.

“What do you mean? Depending on what?” She crossed the back of the sled and stood in front of him, arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face.

What did she have to be annoyed by? _He’s_ the one being dragged along on some unknown venture with no say in the matter.

“I told you I don’t take people places. Since apparently I don’t have a choice this time, I want to know what I’m getting into. Who are you exactly and why are we going to the North Mountain? It must be important since you _insisted_ we leave immediately.”

The girl sighed and any annoyance on her face dissipated. She just looked…sad. Maybe a little disoriented.

“Oh, um, okay. That’s fair. I’m…Anna. Princess Anna of Arendelle.”

Oh. Well that explained the fancy party dress he first saw her in.

“I…look, I didn’t know, but…my sister, the Queen…um…gosh I don’t know how to say this. I’m looking for my sister. She’s missing. I have a feeling she’s on the North Mountain.”

_Oh._ That explained the sudden winter.

“The Queen…she did this?” Kristoff asked, gesturing to the frozen world around them.

“Wait, how did you know?”

Kristoff paused, realizing what he just said. No one was supposed to know. _He_ wasn’t supposed to know.

He quickly backtracked, turning away from Anna to triple check all his knots even though he knew they were secure.

“Oh, uh, I just put two and two together. She’s missing, probably at the North Mountain, magic snow coming from said mountain. I just assumed, I-”

“No, no, you’re right.” Anna said quietly, looking down as Kristoff turned back to her. “Elsa did this. I don’t know how, but she has ice powers! I mean it’s nice to know why she shut me out all these years, but why wouldn’t she tell me?! Did my parents know? Did anyone else? I guess everyone does now – oh my God I have to find her! Please!”

Kristoff just blinked as his response, unsure what to say. He couldn’t just tell her the truth. _Yes,_ the late King and Queen knew. _Yes,_ other people knew. Well, one person and many trolls, anyway.

“I’m sorry,” Anna said, shaking her head a bit. “I know this is probably a lot to take in right now. I really appreciate your help…um…?”

“Kristoff. Kristoff Bjorgman of…nowhere in particular.”

Surprisingly, she laughed. “I’m gonna need you to write that down for me. Now, can we please go? I need to find Elsa as soon as possible!”

“Alright; let’s get moving.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Anna jumped up onto the bench as Kristoff hooked Sven up to the sled. He paused before he climbed up to join her.

“Oh, uh, am I supposed to bow, or something?” He had no idea how this arrangement was supposed to work.

She waved her hand nonchalantly as she smiled down at him. “If I was Elsa, maybe. But don’t worry about me! I’m just P two.”

Kristoff raised a brow in question.

Anna held up two fingers to demonstrate. “P two. Princess number two. I’m just the spare, so you don’t need to worry about formalities or anything.”

Kristoff finally climbed up on the seat next to her and picked up the reigns, signaling for Sven to start a steady trot through the thick trees. They could move faster once they were out of the forest.

“You’re still a princess, though. I don’t think the order matters that much.”

“It does to me.”

“Well it doesn’t to literally everyone else.”

“What are you talking about? Elsa is the _Queen._ Meanwhile, I don’t really have any power or skills or grace or-”

“Look, all I’m saying is that you’re still royalty. I just don’t want to get into any trouble.”

“Why would you get in trouble?”

Okay, so she really didn’t understand. Kristoff didn’t want to get into the fact that a princess, especially an unmarried princess, probably shouldn’t be alone in the woods in the middle of the night with a man she just met. But if he told her that, she would just ask why again and then he would have to explain even _more_ and…this whole thing was a mess.

“If anyone asks, this was _your_ plan.”

“It _is_ my plan!”

“Exactly. Speaking of which, why are you up here alone? Don’t you have like guards or something?”

“I felt like this was something I had to do myself. But…I guess I needed a bit more help than I thought. Thank you, again.”

Kristoff just grunted to himself, not sure what to say. Luckily, the trees began to thin and they reached a cliff in the mountain.

He suddenly flicked the reigns and Sven picked up speed, racing along the cliff side.

The sled skid, but quickly got back on track as Kristoff heard Anna’s shocked laughter from his left.

“Hang on! We like to go fast!”

As he would soon find out, she did too.

\------

They trudged through the woods, Kristoff still slightly annoyed that his sled was gone, but she had promised him a new one. After this, she’d better follow through on that.

However, he _did_ find her fascinating.

He was weirdly impressed by her determination, even if she didn’t seem to have much of a plan.

But once they hit the two hour mark, Kristoff was exhausted and her resolve to keep moving became more irritating than inspiring.

Anna had tried to make conversation a few times, but Kristoff was honestly not in the mood for it, so she trudged forward without him.

She was a few feet ahead of him, taking awkwardly large steps through the snow. She was muttering to herself, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying.

Kristoff wasn’t sure what princesses were supposed to be like, but he never would’ve expected her. He had only seen her once, but she was very young and very asleep, so it’s not like he would’ve been able to read her personality.

Not that he was good at reading people. But still.

She seemed harmless. And kind. And he admired her gumption.

Ugh; he was so tired, he was beginning to think positive things about this senseless girl. He needed to rest. And even if she wouldn’t admit it, he knew she did too.

“Take a right up here,” Kristoff called out.

Anna took a left.

“Your _other_ right.”

She spun on her heels – as much as she could in the snow, anyway – and began the new path.

Kristoff and Sven followed close behind her and soon they broke through the trees, coming to a mountainside that was all stone and snow.

“Okay, which way do we go from here?” Anna asked, hands on her hips.

“In there.” Kristoff pointed to one of the many caves that were in the cliff face.

“We’re going through a cave?”

“No, we’re sleeping in a cave.”

“Wait, what?”

“We need to rest, Anna. Just for a few hours. We’ve gone pretty far and I think this is a good place to stop.”

“No!” She crossed her arms and Kristoff almost expected her to stomp her foot. “You said you’d take me up to the North Mountain tonight!”

“It’ll take at least another half day to get there. We can’t make it on no sleep.”

“Maybe _you_ can’t.”

Kristoff rubbed his hands over eyes, growing increasingly frustrated.

“Look, Anna, I don’t care if you manage to run around your castle all night. But out here, sleep deprivation leads to death. When you’re tried, you make mistakes; mistakes that can be fatal. I’ve seen it more than once. You’re no use to your sister dead just…trust me on this, okay?”

Anna looked like she might argue more, but she simply closed her mouth and nodded her head.

“Thank you,” Kristoff said, relieved he wasn’t going to have to force her inside that cave. “I’m going to get some wood for the fire; stay here.”

“I can help.” She sounded just like she did when the wolves attacked, but at least this time the only thing he had to worry about was her getting lost.

“Okay, but stay close.”

She smiled and marched over to him, dramatically gesturing to the woods.

“After you, my good sir.”

“Oh my God,” Kristoff grumbled, but couldn’t stop the small grin on his face.

He showed Anna the right size and type of wood he was looking for and it wasn’t long before they had enough.

Anna stomped back through the trees, barely able to see over her wood pile. Kristoff laughed and took a couple of the ones on top and added them to his bundle.

“Hey! I could’ve carried those!”

“It’s okay; it’s not your fault you’re so short.”

She gasped and glared up at him. “I am _not_ short! I happen to be a very average height, thank you very much. I am completely ordinary. An average, ordinary height!”

“Trust me, princess, there is _nothing_ ordinary about you, including your height.”

Anna stopped walking.

Kristoff paused and looked down at her incredulous expression.

Did he say something wrong? He couldn’t tell if she was hurt or angry or confused, but he decided to apologize anyway because he really didn’t want to offend her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“No,” she said extremely quietly. Her brows unfurrowed and she smiled at him. It was a tiny, simple smile, but it was nice. “Thank you.”

Kristoff had no clue what to say to that. He knew he wasn’t very good with people, but that’s never bothered him before. Now he wished he at least knew enough to respond coherently.

He just shrugged and continued walking.

“Come on, we should get the fire started.”

They made it back to the caves where Sven was waiting patiently.

Anna kept the reindeer company as Kristoff started the fire near the front of the cave.

The wood wasn’t as dry as he’d like, but it’s not like they had many options during a summer snow storm.

It wasn’t great, but it would do, so Anna and Sven joined him inside once the fire was done.

Sven immediately curled up against the wall, exhausted. Anna and Kristoff sat by the fire, enjoying the warmth against the dark night.

“Are you hungry?” Kristoff asked, voice echoing slightly in the cave.

“Yeah, actually. I’ve been so focused on finding Elsa that I didn’t even think about food; that _never_ happens!”

Kristoff found himself laughing as he pulled his sack from over his shoulder.

“One second.”

He got up and walked over to Sven. He pulled a bundle of carrots out and gave it to his companion, who took them gladly.

He joined Anna back by the fire and continued to dig around in his bag. He pulled out a few pieces of jerky and handed them to Anna.

“I don’t have much...and I can promise you it won’t taste great.”

Anna took a bite and cringed only slightly. “It’s…delicious.”

Kristoff grinned at her face of disgust. She continued to amuse him.

“It’s pretty bad, but you get used to it,” Kristoff said, taking a bite himself. “Oh, here.” He pulled out a canteen and handed it to Anna.

She drank from it greedily and continued to pull at the tough meat.

They were silent as they ate and Kristoff suddenly became acutely aware of their current situation.

He was in a remote cave in the middle of a mountain with a princess. An unmarried – no, wait – _engaged_ princess.

And they had to go to sleep.

He looked around behind him as he thought about what the next course of action should be.

He licked his fingers and stood up, then wiped his hands on his pants.

“Okay, we’ll leave at first light; we have a few hours before dawn.”

“Alright!” Anna said, jumping up from her position on the ground. “The sooner we sleep, the sooner we wake up, and the sooner we find Elsa. So…um, let’s get to it, I guess.”

Kristoff couldn’t help but blush at her words and he couldn’t stand how uncomfortable he felt.

“Here,” he said as he walked over to Sven, who was already dozing off. Kristof took off the blanket covering the animal and bundled it to his chest. “Um, you sleep here, next to Sven. You’re going to smell like reindeer, but he’ll keep you warm.”

Anna just smiled and made her way to Sven, curling up against the animal’s stomach.

“Hey, Sven,” she said as she patted his side.

Kristoff tried to cover her with the blanket while making sure to stay as far away from her as possible. He ended up basically dropping it on her, but she looked grateful as she fixed it over herself.

Kristoff took the few steps to the other side of the cave and sat down with his back against the wall.

“Wait, is that where you’re sleeping?” Anna asked, looking concerned.

“Um…yeah?”

“Where do you usually sleep when you’re out here?”

“You mean in the winter?”

Anna nodded, her braids bouncing against her shoulders. Kristoff noticed how they glowed in the firelight.

“If I can’t find actual shelter, I just sleep against Sven. So I know he’ll keep you warm, don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about you!” She suddenly sat up, letting the blanket fall off of her shoulders.

“Why?”

“I have Sven and the blanket; I feel bad. You should have something.”

“Anna, I’m fine. I’ve done this before. Just…just get some sleep.”

“No! Kristoff, that’s not fair. I mean, Sven’s pretty big – we could share him.”

Even though it was cold as winter, Kristoff could feel his face heat to the point of light perspiration.

“What? No, Anna. It’s…it’s better if you keep all the heat to yourself.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. I won’t get _less_ heat if you’re over here. In fact, I’ll get more! I may not know much about life outside the castle, but I’ve done a bunch of reading and-”

“Are you serious?” Kristoff didn’t mean to snap at her, but he was _so_ embarrassed. She just suggested that he sleep _right_ next to her.

“What?”

“You want me to sleep next to you?”

It was Anna’s turn for her face to darken to a deep red. “ _No!_ I just – I mean…I think body heat would be helpful right now.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Look, I know what you’re thinking, I do. But you don’t have to worry about it! Out here, I’m not a princess, okay? I’m just another person trying not to freeze to death. You won’t get in trouble!”

“First of all, yes, you _are_ a princess, which, by the way, is _very_ apparent.”

“What is _that_ supposed to mean?”

“Are you even hearing what you’re saying? Also, aren’t you _engaged?_ Where does Prince Charming fit into all this?”

Anna suddenly pulled back, the anger on her face fading. “W-what do you mean?”

“You say to love this guy _so much_ that you got engaged in one day, but then you just ditch him to climb up here with a total stranger? I bet he’d be thrilled about this.”

“ _Stop._ You don’t understand! It all happened so fast and I just _had_ to go, I had to – and someone needed to look after Arendelle so I needed him to-”

“Hold on…this guy is running the kingdom right now? A guy who literally just showed up like a day ago is _in charge of the kingdom?_ ”

Kristoff couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Agreeing to marry a man after a day was crazy enough, but giving him the authority to run Arendelle? That was _insane._

“That’s literally the _dumbest_ thing I’ve ever heard!”

“How dare you?!” Anna’s eyes were glassy and she was clutching the blanket in her fists. “I am _not_ dumb! I trust Hans and I know Arendelle is safe in his hands! You don’t know what you’re talking about; you don’t know him!”

“Neither do you!”

It was silent for a long moment.

Anna didn’t move. She just looked at Kristoff, her face falling until her expression was blank.

“Fine. Stay over there and freeze, see if I care.” She pulled the blanket up to her face and turned on her side, clutching Sven’s fur.

He didn’t respond and simply crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned his head against the wall and grunted at the impact.

He laid down to sleep on the hard ground, but nothing happened. He tossed and turned for half an hour before he huffed and gave up, laying on his back.

He turned his head toward his travel companions.

Anna looked like a bundle and he watched the blanket go up and down as she breathed. A soft snore reached his ears; she was asleep.

The reindeer lifted his head lazily and scowled at Kristoff.

“What?” Kristoff snapped at Sven. “You know I’m right.”

Sven just rolled his eyes and put his head back down, closing his eyes.

Kristoff didn’t understand why he felt so awful.

He had definitely said worse to people before. Way worse. But with Anna, he actually felt like she didn’t deserve it.

She was reckless and a little naïve perhaps, but she wasn’t a bad person. In fact, he thought she was a really good person.

He didn’t know many people he could say that about.

The night dragged on and Kristoff only got an hour of sleep – maybe two, tops.

But he woke up right before the sun peaked over the horizon and woke Anna and Sven.

It took only a few minutes to pack up and then they were on their way again.

The trip was silent and extremely uncomfortable.

Anna hadn’t said a word to him that morning.

The trio just trudged through the mountains and the only reaction he got out of the two of them was a side-eye glance from Sven.

Great, even his best friend hated him. Perfect.

They both walked ahead of him, leaving him alone with his guilty thoughts.

They had crossed the narrow rim of a mountain and entered another forest, the other two disappearing into the trees first.

He wasn’t sure exactly how much time had passed, but it had been enough and he felt the need to apologize.

Which had also rarely happened before.

“Anna, wait.”

She stopped, but didn’t turn around. She kept her hand on Sven’s neck and scratched him as Kristoff walked up to her.

“I think we should just address the bear in the room, alright? About last night-”

“Oh, I think you made your feelings _very_ clear, Kristoff.” Anna still wouldn’t look at him though and kept her eyes forward, giving an innocent tree a hard stare.

“Well I’m right about that, but-”

“Of course!” Anna finally turned to him, letting go of Sven and crossing her arms. The look in her eyes made Kristoff’s stomach drop. “Of course _you’re_ right. I’m just too dumb to be right about anything, aren’t I?”

“What? No, Anna-”

“Just leave me alone. Let’s just find Elsa and when this whole this is over, I’ll get you a new sled, okay? Then you can leave and I won’t bother you anymore.”

She looked so sad when she kept walking that Kristoff didn’t know what to do.

There was this weird tightness in his chest and he needed to make it stop.

“Anna, please!”

He ran in front of her and held out his hands in peace.

“ _Please_ listen to me.”

She looked like she didn’t want to, but she didn’t keep walking so that was a good start. Sven looked at Kristoff curiously, waiting to see what he was going to do.

“Look, I do think I’m right about what I said, but I was wrong in the way that I said it. I’m sorry.”

Anna didn’t say anything, she just looked up at him with those big, blue eyes and he couldn’t stop himself from continuing.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to marry a man you just met or give him the keys to the kingdom, but…I don’t think you’re stupid. Far from it.”

“But you said-”

“I know what I said.” Kristoff didn’t want to cut her off, but he was on a roll and if he didn’t get his thoughts out soon, he never would. “And I meant it. I think it was a stupid choice. But you can do dumb things without being a dumb person. Anna, I think you’re smart and kind and selfless. You came all the way up here on your own in order to save both your sister and the kingdom. And that’s…that’s _really_ brave.”

Kristoff’s face was hot again and he didn’t understand why he was breathing so heavily, but soon a wide smile spread on Anna’s face and she suddenly wrapped her arms around him.

He froze as she dug her face into his chest.

“Thank you,” she whispered, nuzzling her cheek against him.

Kristoff’s heart began to race and he suddenly felt extremely dizzy. Once he remembered to breathe, he gently pulled her off him.

“I’m, ah, I’m not the most articulate, but-”

“I thought it was wonderful. That was the nicest thing anyone’s said to me in a long time, Kristoff.”

Anna just smiled up at him and Kristoff cleared his throat to try to dissolve the awkwardness he was feeling.

Sven gave him a look to show that he approved, but there was a glint in his eyes that Kristoff didn’t like the implication of.

“We should probably keep going.” Kristoff said, turning around to look at the trees. If he focused on them hard enough maybe he’d get his heart rate down.

“Yeah, probably.” Anna slipped her arm through the crook of Kristoff’s elbow and he looked down in shock.

She smiled wide and said, “So, where to next, partner?”

“Uh-” Kristoff’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat again. “This way.” He slipped his arm out of Anna’s grasp and pointed in the direction they needed to go. He could’ve used his free arm, but he needed her to stop touching him.

They continued on their way and Anna spoke up again.

“I know I’m a little reckless sometimes. But everything just seemed like the best option at the time, y’know? I knew the gates were only going to be open one day, so I’m so lucky to have found Hans when I did. He’s just so sweet and when he proposed, I knew that was the only time I’d have that chance, so I had to take it! And then when Elsa ran away, it was suddenly freezing and people were panicking and I just knew that I had to go find her. I know it was rash, but I couldn’t wait another minute! Hans wanted to come with me, actually. But I knew the people would need someone to look to. He’s a really great guy, Kristoff. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest move, but-”

“Hey.” Kristoff needed to process everything for a moment. “…I get it. I do. And yeah, it was a sudden decision, but you knew something had to be done and you were the first one to do it. That’s pretty cool.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Anna stuck her nose in the air a little higher and Kristoff laughed.

“All I’m saying is that I understand. Still think it was stupid, but I get it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Anna waved him away, but smiled all the same.

“Look, I don’t think I’m the smartest guy,” Kristoff started, not sure when he suddenly became someone who _talks_ to people, especially about personal stuff. But there he was, actually _wanting_ to have a conversation with Anna. He liked talking to her.

“But I don’t think I’m dumb either, even though I’ve made a lot of bad calls. It happens to everyone. I just don’t want you to feel bad about everything.”

“I’m actually…okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah! I mean, I’m worried about Elsa, but I’m feeling confident we can fix this! Everything is going to be fine!”

There she was: that optimistic, fearless princess who was filled to the brim with determination. Kristoff smiled down at her as she grinned back.

Anna suddenly looked away and Kristoff did too, looking at the trees around them.

“So…” Anna said, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. “What were some of yours? Bad calls, I mean? I might feel less stupid if your mistakes were worse than mine.” But she smiled as she said this.

“Well, I wouldn’t say they’re worse than yours, but…” Kristoff had made quite a few in his life, some more serious than others. He decided to keep the tone light, though. “Well, recently, I’ve made some big ones.”

“Really?”

“Yup. Let’s see – I offended a merchant in his own shop and got kicked out, actually.”

“No!” Anna feigned surprise and laughed.

“I know, how dumb was that? Or, hey, I got so distracted by a feisty redhead breaking my lute that I got pulled off a sled by a wolf. Pretty lame.”

“I thought you were really brave, actually. And I’m still really sorry about your stuff.”

Kristoff just blushed and shrugged off her comment. “It’s fine. Oh, but do you want to know one of my worst mistakes?”

“Obviously.”

“I yelled at someone who didn’t deserve it…and I made them feel bad. I shouldn’t have done it.”

Anna lightly bumped Kristoff with her shoulder and smiled. “You already apologized; it’s alright.”

“I know, but I still feel bad.” He bumped her back and she laughed.

He was really beginning to like that sound.

Anna nearly rammed her body into his and he stumbled, surprised at the force.

He looked at her and laughed, then she laughed, and soon they were giggling like children. Kristoff didn’t know what came over him, but he couldn’t stop.

He felt this strange, almost weightless feeling around her.

Sven jabbed him with an antler and Kristoff yelped in pain.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re going. Come on, Anna.”

Anna began to sing to herself as they wandered through the trees and Kristoff definitely didn’t mind. Soon enough they came to the end of the woods and Kristoff waved them forward.

“From this point I think it should only be a couple more hours.”

It wasn’t until they stepped out of the thick trees that they noticed Arendelle.

\------

His head pounded, it was getting colder, and Olaf just _would not stop talking_.

But more importantly, Anna was hurt.

She was keeping up, but he could tell the light in her eyes had dimmed a bit.

He didn’t know what to do.

He was taking her to the trolls, obviously, but he didn’t know if he should tell her the truth.

Kristoff never thought he’d see the young princesses again. The one with the ice powers or the one knocked unconscious by those powers.

The trolls made him promise that he would keep what he saw that day a secret. One would think such a secret would be difficult to keep, but it wasn’t.

He never had many people to talk to, and frankly, as cool – no pun intended – as it was that the newly appointed queen had ice powers, it really was none of his business.

He never got involved in other people’s problems.

Until he met Anna.

But he didn’t think he had a right to tell her what happened all those years ago. Her sister should be the one to do that.

Also, Anna was clearly hurt and confused by the actions of her sister. Like always, she was determined to hide her pain, but he could see right through her façade.

For the first time in their adventure, she seemed unsure. Doubtful, even.

“It’ll be okay,” Kristoff assured her.

Olaf and Sven were wondering behind them, so he felt like they had at least some privacy.

“I know,” Anna replied, but the certainty in her voice didn’t come through as much as it should have.

“I’m confident my friends will be able to fix this.”

“I hope so.”

He hesitated. If he told her they were trolls, that might raise more questions and he didn’t want to reveal anything.

“Trust me; you’re going to be okay.”

She gave him a weak smile, but he could see the sincerity in it.

“Where are we going?”

“The Black Mountains.”

“You know people in the Black Mountains? I thought no one lived out there. That’s what I got from my geography lessons, anyway. Granted, I never really paid attention.”

“No one really knows they’re there. They like to keep to themselves.”

“Oh; sounds like someone else I know.”

Kristoff glanced down and his heart softened when he met her smiling eyes.

As much as he wished he could deny it, he cared for her. A lot. He wanted to keep her safe and comfort her, but she had someone back in Arendelle to do that. He was there to help her get back home and after that, she’d be gone.

His heart lurched and he ripped his eyes away from her to look at the darkening world around them.

He _can’t_ be feeling this.

It wasn’t possible.

He’d gone through most of his life not caring about anyone but his family and Sven; that was it.

Why did Anna have to come through and ruin everything like that? The only issue was that she didn’t ruin anything.

He was feeling something he never had before, and soon it would be gone forever.

“Are you alright?” Anna asked.

Why did seem like she could read him as well as he could read her?

He gave her a soft smile and a slight nod, even though it felt light his heart was squeezing itself dry.

“Yeah. We should…we should pick up the pace a bit. The sooner we get there, the better.”

Anna just nodded and pulled her cape around her. Kristoff whistled back to Sven to get him to stop playing with Olaf.

The quartet picked up their speed and made their way to the Black Mountains.

\------

The sun was shining and a light breeze blew.

Everyone was smiling, including Kristoff.

He never would have believed it before, but life did have a weird way of working out.

He had just _kissed_ the Princess of Arendelle. Better yet, he had just kissed _Anna._

She smiled up at him and it took everything in his power to not kiss her again. He probably looked like an idiot, just grinning in the middle of the docks, but he couldn’t care less.

Anna was in his arms. Nothing else was as important.

Except maybe one thing.

“Anna?” He asked hesitantly, not sure how she would react to the news.

“Yes?” She asked brightly. He loved how her eyes shone.

“I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” Anna’s smile fell as she looked at the worry on his face.

“It’s nothing bad, I promise.” _At least I hope not._

“Oh, good!” The smile returned to Anna’s face immediately. “Then what is it?”

“I think we should sit down.”

“O…kay?”

Kristoff led her to an area by multiple venders and sat them down on the stone steps.

It had been the first day they’d seen each other in a week.

Kristoff waited for things to calm down as Anna was extremely busy helping her sister deal with the aftermath of the sudden winter.

Now, any damaged ships were finally ready to leave and things were smoothed over with the people.

No one harbored any ill feelings; it was incredible, actually. Maybe people weren’t so bad after all.

Anna had greeted him that morning with the tightest hug he’d ever received (which is saying a lot since his family were hug-loving trolls).

She caught him up on everything that had happened. She was so excited, he had to remind her to breathe every once in a while. But she had filled him in on everything, including the fact that Elsa came clean about the past. She told Anna what happened that night they were children and everything that came after.

Kristoff realized it was time for him to tell her his side, but she had pulled on him suddenly and told him she had a surprise.

He couldn’t say no to her pleading face, so on the blindfold went.

The sled was wonderful, the best gift he’d ever gotten. But it was _nothing_ compared to the feeling of her lips against his.

Kristoff blushed again at the thought, but realized it was the best time for the truth.

“Remember what your sister told you? About the accident and having your memories changed?”

“Yeah. And by your family, no less. How weird is that?”

“That’s what I want to talk to you about. I was there.”

“What?”

“On the night everything happened. I followed a trail of ice and my mom found me right at the exact moment your parents brought you to Pabbie. I watched the whole thing.”

Anna was silent as she looked to the cobbled streets, playing with her hands. She was biting her lip, and Kristoff would’ve found it adorable if he weren’t so stressed.

“I know I didn’t tell you before; when you told me who you were and I realized what happened I just…I was told never to tell anyone. It was a secret. I hated keeping it from you, but it didn’t feel like my place at the time. But I wanted to tell you now. I’m so sorry.”

Anna looked up to him, surprised. “Why are you sorry?”

“Because…because I kept it from you. I could’ve told you everything.”

“But you didn’t. And I’m grateful for that. I needed to hear it from Elsa.”

She placed her soft hand on his cheek and Kristoff held his breath.

“And…isn’t it kind of wonderful?” She asked, hand still on his face.

“What?” Kristoff couldn’t think very well.

“You just happened to meet your family they day I was there. We just happened to cross paths at the exact right moment to meet at Oaken’s. That seems…I don’t know.” She dropped her hand and shrugged, but she smiled. “It’s almost like we were connected from the start.”

It did seem too unlikely for it to just be a coincidence.

Kristoff had never believed in fate or destiny or even falling in love.

But as Anna leaned in close and put her lips to his for the second time, he thought maybe something else was in play.

It wasn’t until later, as he watched the people and the sisters skate around the courtyard, that the realization came to him.

He gave a simple wave as Anna glided around the ice with her sister.

When she grinned at him, her smile outshone the new summer sun.

Kristoff fell.

His feet slipped from under him and down he went, crashing to the ground.

Sven could not have cared less and Kristoff heard bright laughter from all the way across the courtyard.

He turned his head and saw Anna pointing at him, doubled over in laughter.

Kristoff knew two things in that moment.

The first was that it simply didn’t matter whether it was fate or chance that caused them to meet. The only thing that mattered was that somehow, someway, they were together.

The second was that he had fallen completely, irrefutably, and undeniably in love with Anna.

And he would continue to fall for her every day for the rest of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Did y'all spot the Titanic and Royal Night Out references?
> 
> Even in canon-verse, movie quotes are impossible to resist.


End file.
